National Football League

Which young NFL QBs should get paid ASAP? Colin Cowherd makes his rulings

Published Aug. 11, 2021 10:32 a.m. ET

Being a quarterback in the NFL can be a lucrative profession.

Just ask Josh Allen, who is set to make $258 million over the course of the six-year extension he signed with the Buffalo Bills last week. Assuming he plays out the duration of the deal, he'll make nearly as much in six years as Tom Brady did in his first 21(!) seasons in the NFL.

But with seven Super Bowl rings ⁠— six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers ⁠— it's hard to argue that Brady hasn't been worth every penny. Heck, you're better off making the case that he has been underpaid to this point.

Even so, general managers are always looking to cut the best deal they can when it comes to ponying up for a franchise quarterback. That's an important part of their job, after all.

Buffalo GM Brandon Beane would surely be pleased if Allen's big-money deal were to wind up being viewed as a bargain when all is said and done.

With that in mind, Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" looked at some other young QBs who are on the cusp of new contracts and decided whether he'd look to pay them now or play them and wait it out.

"Of all the young quarterbacks in the league ⁠— if I ran the franchise ⁠— would I be working on a contract [and] get a little bit of a break? Or I want to see more?" Cowherd said.

Those are the two rulings he set up for a game called "Pay or Play." Here's what he decided.

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Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Age: 24

Career stats: 32 games, 65.8% completion percentage, 7,693 passing yards, 46 passing touchdowns, 90.9 passer rating, 1,363 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs

Cowherd's verdict: Pay him

Cowherd's thoughts: "In the toughest division in the NFL, with a coach who is the fourth-best coach in his division, [Murray] made massive leaps year one to year two."

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 24

Career stats: 46 games, 64.0% completion percentage, 7,085 passing yards, 68 passing TDs, 102.6 passer rating, 2,906 rushing yards, 19 rushing TDs

Cowherd's verdict: Pay him

Cowherd's thoughts: "We all know he was MVP. We all know he wins 80% of his games. I've said that multiple times. Here's the other thing that matters: He's 10-5 against winning teams."

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

Age: 24

Career stats: 38 games, 59.8% completion percentage, 8,097 passing yards, 45 passing TDs, 78.6 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "Listen, the statistical categories all went down. I'm going to give him a year with this coach and this roster. ... I think he's going to have a good year, but I gotta see it."

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Age: 24

Career stats: 10 games, 65.3% completion percentage, 2,688 passing yards, 13 passing TDs, 89.8 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "That was a bad injury ⁠— MCL tear, ACL tear ⁠— and now the reports [that] he's not playing with a ton of confidence. ... I'm going to need another 12, 15 starts and see how he deals with that injury, coming off it."

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Age: 26

Career stats: 46 games, 61.9% completion percentage, 11,115 passing yards, 75 passing TDs, 89.1 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "It's close, but I'd say play a little bit more. ... I don't love his judgment. I've said before, I think he lacks maturity. It's never been about his talent."

Drew Lock, Denver Broncos

Age: 24

Career stats: 18 games, 59.1% completion percentage, 3,953 passing yards, 23 passing TDs, 79.1 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "He reminds me of Jay Cutler. He kind of seems indifferent. And Cutler, who was a super talent, just never clicked. I think you're looking at a less-talented Jay Cutler."

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Age: 23

Career stats: 15 games, 66.6% completion percentage, 4,336 passing yards, 31 passing TDs, 98.3 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Pay him

Cowherd's thoughts: "Does everybody understand what he did last year? He set every rookie quarterback record ever with the worst-rated offensive line in the league. That is impossible."

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Age: 24

Career stats: 27 games, 62.2% completion percentage, 5,970 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 84.1 passer rating, 702 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "He's got a turnover issue. He's fumbled 29 times in 27 career starts. Now, he does not have a great offensive line, but let's juxtapose that to Herbert, who was unbelievable right out of college."

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Age: 23

Career stats: 10 games, 64.1% completion percentage, 1,814 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, 87.1 passer rating

Cowherd's verdict: Play him

Cowherd's thoughts: "At some point, you can't have a perfect team for him to succeed. That's not the NFL, right? This is not a movie script where you keep working on the script."

For Cowherd's full "Pay or Play" breakdown, check out the video below!